President Barack Obama waves on his arrival June 24 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Washington. Obama was in town to attend a fundraiser for Gov. Jay Inslee. This week, Obama announced his endorsement of three Democratic candidates running for the Washington State Legislature. Elaine ThompsonAP

President Barack Obama waves on his arrival June 24 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Washington. Obama was in town to attend a fundraiser for Gov. Jay Inslee. This week, Obama announced his endorsement of three Democratic candidates running for the Washington State Legislature. Elaine ThompsonAP

In a first, President Obama endorses 3 Democrats in Washington legislative races

President Barack Obama is getting involved in three Washington legislative races, marking the first time he’s endorsed candidates that far down the ballot in the Evergreen State, top Democrats said Monday.

Obama is throwing his weight behind races in swing districts that could decide control of the Legislature.

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“This new wave of endorsements is not something we’ve seen before from the top of the ticket,” Fitzgibbon said.

Fitzgibbon said the president’s endorsement “brings plenty of attention” to the three races and boosts the chances of Democrats winning them in November.

But Republicans aren’t so sure the Democratic president’s endorsement will make much of a difference.

“Most candidates don’t really want to be associated with Washington, D.C.,” said state Rep. J.T. Wilcox, the chairman of the House Republican Organizational Committee, the House Republicans’ campaign arm.

As of April, Republicans controlled 30 legislatures throughout the country, while Democrats controlled 12, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Seven legislatures, including Washington’s, are split, with Democrats controlling one chamber and Republicans controlling the other.

This fall, Democrats in Washington would need to gain two seats to gain control of the state Senate, which is controlled by a Republican majority.

Republicans would need to win two seats in the state House to wrest control of the chamber from Democrats, and need only one seat to create a power-sharing arrangement that last existed from 1999 to 2001.

Wellman, a managing director at a software company, narrowly bested Litzow in the August primary in the 41st Legislative District, which includes Mercer Island, Newcastle, Issaquah, Sammamish, and parts of Bellevue and Renton.

Meanwhile, Pellicciotti — an assistant attorney general and former King County deputy prosecutor — led Kochmar by 5 percentage points in the 30th Legislative District, which includes Federal Way, Algona, Pacific, Milton, Auburn and Des Moines.

In the same district, Reeves, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray who now works for the state Department of Commerce, beat Hickel by less than a percentage point in the primary.